Tones
In Mandarin, words that have the same pronunciation can have different meanings depending on how the word is said. In this lesson, you will learn how tone affects words in Mandarin Chinese. The tone of a word describes how the pitch changes as the word is said. There are four tones and a neutral in Mandarin. The tones are represented in Pinyin by marks above the words and are read from left to right. The absence of a tone also has meaning.
For example, the word ma can have a number of different meanings depending on how it is said: mā, má, mǎ, mà, or ma.
Word with tone
English meaning
Description of tone
Name of tone
mā
Mother
High and level
1st tone
má
To bother
Rising from middle to high
2nd tone
mǎ
Horse
First falling then rising
3rd tone
mà
To scold
Falling from high
4th tone
ma
An interrogative particle
Brief and soft
Neutral
Tone marks
Tone marks are written above the main vowel of a syllable. The main vowel can be identified according to the following sequence: a>o>e>i>u>ü. However, when i and u are combined into a syllable, the tone mark is written on the second vowel.
Example: liú, guì
Pronunciation
The following diagram shows how the tones are pronounced in relation to each other.
Change of tone
Word placement can often change the tone of a word. For example, the word 你好 (hello) represents two characters with third tone distinction. However, when they are combined, the tone of the first word changes without affecting or changing the meaning. In this lesson, you will learn how tones change depending on how a word is used. The tone of a word sometimes changes when used in a sentence depending on the tone of the word that precedes or comes after it.
Rules
Rule 1
If a 3rd tone is followed by a 3rd tone, the first 3rd tone becomes a 2nd tone (3+3 = 2+3).
Example: The word for hello in Mandarin is: nǐhǎo (你好) which literally means “You good.” When these two words are pronounced separately, they are both pronounced using the third tone. When they are used together to form the word hello and said out loud, ni takes the second tone and hao remains in third tone.
The word nǐhǎo is still written with two third tones, but it is said with the ni in second tone.
Rule 2
If a 3rd tone is followed by any tone other than the 3rd tone (covered by rule 1) the 3rd tone changes to a half 3rd tone. A half 3rd tone is one that falls, but does not rise.
Example: nĭ māma 你妈妈 (your mother）is pronounced nì māma
Rule 3
The word bù 不（no） has the 4th tone, but when it is followed by another 4th tone, it becomes 2nd tone.
Example: bù shì 不是 （is not） is pronounced búshì
Rule 4
Rules concerning the word yī 一（one):
The word yī 一 （one）is 1st tone when used as part of a number.
Example: yī 一 （one), èr 二 （two), sān 三 （three)…
Yī 一 （one） is pronounced with 4th tone when preceding 1st, 2nd, or 3rd tones.
Example: Yī tiān is pronounced yì tiān 一天 (one day)
Yī is pronounced with 2nd tone when preceding a 4th tone.
Example: Yīcì is pronounced yícì 一次 （one time, once）
In Mandarin, words that have the same pronunciation can have different meanings depending on how the word is said. In this lesson, you will learn how tone affects words in Mandarin Chinese. The tone of a word describes how the pitch changes as the word is said. There are four tones and a neutral in Mandarin. The tones are represented in Pinyin by marks above the words and are read from left to right. The absence of a tone also has meaning.
For example, the word ma can have a number of different meanings depending on how it is said: mā, má, mǎ, mà, or ma.
Tone marks
Tone marks are written above the main vowel of a syllable. The main vowel can be identified according to the following sequence: a>o>e>i>u>ü. However, when i and u are combined into a syllable, the tone mark is written on the second vowel.Pronunciation
The following diagram shows how the tones are pronounced in relation to each other.Change of tone
Word placement can often change the tone of a word. For example, the word 你好 (hello) represents two characters with third tone distinction. However, when they are combined, the tone of the first word changes without affecting or changing the meaning. In this lesson, you will learn how tones change depending on how a word is used. The tone of a word sometimes changes when used in a sentence depending on the tone of the word that precedes or comes after it.
Rules
Rule 1
If a 3rd tone is followed by a 3rd tone, the first 3rd tone becomes a 2nd tone (3+3 = 2+3).Rule 2
If a 3rd tone is followed by any tone other than the 3rd tone (covered by rule 1) the 3rd tone changes to a half 3rd tone. A half 3rd tone is one that falls, but does not rise.Rule 3
The word bù 不（no） has the 4th tone, but when it is followed by another 4th tone, it becomes 2nd tone.Rule 4
Rules concerning the word yī 一（one):Listen & Practice